Night Sky
by Ezra1
Summary: Four years ago a friendship was destroyed. Now at university, old wounds are opened, the past is revisited. Will Kaoru ever forgive Kenshin?
1. Again

**Author's Notes: **Hi! Hello, and thank you for your interest in this story. *bows in appreciation* Thank you thank you. Before you read though, I'd like to warn you of a couple of things. This is a Rurouni Kenshin story featuring the pairing Kenshin and Kaoru. The story is Alternate Universe, so prepare a lot of unusual things. For one thing I've reduced the age gap to nothing (shameless me, yes yes I know). Then the story's set in modern new millenia, contrary to RK's original timeline, Meiji 69. ^^x Just a warning though. You might encounter some swearing here, so please pardon. 

So with that said, please proceed reading the chapter below. I hope you enjoy! If you do (or even if you didn't) please don't forget to leave a review. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. ^_^ Thankies! 

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**Night Sky  
**by: Ezra  
Standard disclaimers apply. 

* * *

**Chapter 1: Again **

Kamiya Kaoru smiled as she stepped within the university's gates, a sense of accomplishment filling her. She had worked long and hard to get here, surviving a series of interviews and brain-wracking tests, beating a hundred or more students who had wanted to be in the same spot she was in right now. Indeed luck had been on her side, she mused, as she walked slowly towards the main building. She could see it all now, her graduating with honors and companies running after her to get them to work for her. She smiled to herself.

_Getting in here was hard, and I am not going to let this opportunity slip_, she thought. _I will graduate with an accounting degree, and make everyone proud._

Quickly she climbed the steps to the main building and waited by a drinking fountain. Then someone came along, particularly a girl with green-tinted black hair. 

"Kaoru-chan!" she called.

Kaoru whirled around in anticipation. Not to her disappointment was her good friend, standing a few meters away. She was waving her hand at her, clutching her sandwich and bag in another. Kaoru smiled. She was in the middle of breakfast. 

"Shura!" Kaoru called back. "There you are. Let's go to the auditorium before we lose seats." 

"Sure, in a minute," the other girl replied. "Let me just take another bite and we'll be off." 

Shura took one last bite and proceeded to stuff the remnants in her schoolbag. It was then when she saw a flash of red, making her turn around in curiosity. There, standing a few meters from her was a guy with flaming red hair, wearing a black body hugging shirt and black pants. He walked past everyone in confident strides, catching every girl's eye as he did so. One look at him and Shura had formulated a one-word description that fit him perfectly: hot. 

She was frozen for a split second before turning to her companion. Her eyes widened at the sight of Kaoru. There she was, glued to her spot, her eyes fixed on where the redhead had been. But her eyes held nothing such as admiration nor fascination for the man. Instead her sapphire orbs were cold, ice-like with fury. 

"What's he doing here?" she heard her say. 

"K-Kaoru-chan..." Shura could only stammer. 

Himura Kenshin walked down the packed hallways in confident strides. He knew he was getting everyone's attention, both men and women alike. And he relished it. He delighted at the fact that the girls, especially, were fond of him and his good looks. He knew that ever since he was a child. As early as three, one of his female playmates had blurted out he was cute, pink suffused in her cheeks. At first he didn't mind, but as he grew older, he began to realize what a valuable asset good looks were. 

All the girls he had passed by in the main entrance had stopped, swooned or looked at him with admiration. Except for one girl that is. He needn't find out who she was. In the back of his mind, he retained a little of what she had looked like. Long black hair that fell about her shoulders, fair skin and blue eyes... He knew too well who that girl was. It had been a while since they had last seen each other, four years to be exact. And in those four years she had indeed changed. 

He shook his head slightly as he reached his destination, the auditorium. By the door he saw some familiar faces standing. There they were, three boys and two girls he knew very well. Yes, they had been waiting for him. 

"Kenshin, how are you?" one of the boys asked, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. 

"Cool," was Kenshin's reply, a wide grin plastered on his face. 

"Already eye-catching ne?" came one of the girls. 

Indeed, he was. At that moment every other girl in the hallway was looking at him, all of them murmuring about who the redhead was and how hot he looked. Kenshin shook his head. 

"Intoxicating seems more appropriate," said another feminine voice. "Girls have been swooning all over the place." 

The men all grinned at Takani Megumi's remark as she flipped her hair nonchalantly and started fanning herself. 

"This place is warm," she muttered to herself, fanning her hands a little harder. 

"Here, you can borrow mine," said the other girl, handing Megumi a cardboard fan. 

"Arigato Misao-chan," Megumi replied. 

"Well what is there to expect from our number one lover boy?" said one of the guys beside Megumi. 

"Sanosuke, some modesty please," Kenshin spoke. "It's my first day here at university and I don't want to slip up." 

"Now look who's talking!" Misao giggled. The others started laughing as well, and laughed even harder at the small blush that crept through Kenshin's cheeks. 

Just then, two girls began approaching the auditorium. As Sano noted, one was a girl with green-tinted black hair, a little tall, fair, good form and poise. One word description: cute. Then the girl beside her, also raven-haired, as tall as her companion, fair, poised and confident. It was her. He could recognize her anywhere, even though she wore her hair differently now. Albeit not used to seeing her long black hair bouncing loosely below her shoulder blades, she was the same girl he had not seen in so many years, only that she was changed. 

"Jo-chan," Sano spoke. "It's been a while." 

She stopped and peered into his eyes directly. Then she lowered her head a little and smiled. 

"Sano, nice to see you again," she greeted. Then pointing to her companion, she said, "This is my friend, Shura." 

"Nice to meet you," Shura grinned, bowing a little. 

"Nice to meet you too," Sano replied. "We were friends, Jo-chan and I, back when we were kids." 

"I-I see," Shura replied quite uncomfortably, taking a glance at her companion. 

"You still remember the rest of us, don't you Jo-chan?" Sano continued. "No need for introductions." 

"Yes, there is no need," Kaoru answered coolly. Her eyes moved from Sano, to Megumi, to Misao, to the other two boys she recognized as Ichiro and Tsunan, and then Kenshin. "It hasn't been too long, actually." 

Misao flinched involuntarily, earning herself a hard pinch from Megumi. She bit her lip to keep herself from yelping in pain, and then hung her head low. Then there was an uncomfortable silence. No one wanted to speak. Misao looked sideways towards Kenshin, who had his head turned away from Kaoru. He was frowning. 

"I'm sorry, we must leave now or else we'll lose our seats," Kaoru finally spoke so softly that it was scary. 

"Hai, and we wouldn't want to be late. Kaoru-chan, let's get inside," Shura said, taking Kaoru's arm and leading her inside. 

As soon as they had disappeared, Sano let out a heavy sigh. 

"Air sure seemed humid," he remarked, flapping his shirt a bit. "Now I can breathe more freely." 

The rest of them began to relax, and they started gathering their things to go inside. But Misao was nowhere near composed. Her breathing was getting quicker and she was starting to pale. 

"Misao, are you alright?" Kenshin asked, his brows knotted in concern. 

"I-I'm fine," she answered softly. Suddenly she bolted away from the group clutching her chest and breathing hard. Tsunan and Ichiro's eyes widened, Sano cursed and Kenshin looked away. Megumi's face hardened. 

"Get inside, I'll follow Misao. She probably has asthma again," Megumi spoke, running after Misao. 

The boys nodded, and went inside the dim auditorium hoping that Misao would be alright. 

Orientation was like eternity. Sitting for two hours straight did not do justice to everyone's butts. All students were relieved once the emcee declared the event over, and they all moved out to go to their respective buildings. Kenshin was probably the most relieved that orientation was over, for when they went inside the auditorium, the only seats unoccupied were those behind the row Kaoru was seated. Talk about tension. Megumi arrived half an hour after orientation started with news that Misao had to stay in the clinic due to her asthma attack. It wasn't too serious, but the nurse had advised letting Misao stay for the next two hours. 

The group went their separate ways: Sano off to the northern part of the campus with Tsunan for their civil engineering course, Kuro to the western part for his economics course along with Megumi, who was taking up medicine, while Kenshin and Misao to the eastern part for their business management and fine arts courses respectively. 

It was Kenshin who volunteered to pick Misao up from the clinic and drive her to her building. After all, they were both headed in the same direction. He carefully ushered her to the front seat of his four-wheeler and drove. His radio was loud, but he didn't care. Usually Misao did, and under normal circumstances she would've toned it down. Then a fight on the radio's volume would ensue. But she didn't. She just sat in the front seat, quiet, immersed in her thoughts. Kenshin didn't like her quiet, and he knew what was bothering her. 

"I know you blame me for what happened four years ago," he spoke. 

"We're all to blame," was the soft reply. 

Kenshin turned the volume down. 

"You don't need to lie," he said, turning the wheel. 

"We were all too shallow to understand her," Misao said. "She was more mature than we had expected." 

"It was not our fault then." 

She breathed in sharply almost startling Kenshin. Her vision suddenly blurred and a tear slid down her cheek. She hated it. She absolutely abhorred it. Why were these people too proud to accept they were responsible for ruining a beautiful friendship? _Oh yeah_, she thought bitterly. _Kaoru-chan wasn't much of a loss. She wasn't as pretty as Megumi anyway. _

"It was! When will you learn to accept the fact that you made a mistake?!" she cried. 

"So it's us now, not you anymore," Kenshin retorted. 

"Because I've already accepted the fact that I in particular made a horrible mistake!" she exclaimed, wringing her hands. "I made a mistake in not running after her that day and apologizing. I shouldn't have listened to you or Megumi!" 

"There we have it! You're blaming me and Megumi for what happened!" 

Misao stopped. Her face was hard. 

"Let me out," she whispered, gathering her things. 

Kenshin abruptly stopped the car and Misao walked out. He watched as she walked briskly towards the Fine Arts building some minutes away. 

"Bullshit," he cursed, punching the wheel. After a few minutes' thoughts, he drove off.   


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End of Chapter 1. To be continued!


	2. An Avenue for Thoughts

**Author's Notes: **Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I was so surprised to find 23 of them waiting to be read. ^_^ Thank you! I hope I have not killed you all with the suspense. ^^x More notes at the end of the chapter, since I don't want to spoil anything here. Don't forget to leave a review after! 

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**Night Sky  
**by: Ezra  
Standard disclaimers apply.

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**Chapter 2: An Avenue For Thoughts**

A sharp breath.

"I hate this," Misao muttered. "I hate my lungs. Why couldn't they be like everybody else's?!" 

She reached for her handkerchief and used it to cover her nose. The air was getting dusty and she was breathing too much of the solids. 

"If I were in a car I wouldn't be having this problem, but I'm not in a car. The only car I can get into, however, is that of an arrogant, self-centered... person, whose ego I cannot stand anymore," she continued, speeding up to the dorm. The white four-story building was in sight, and she was eager to get in her room and fall dead on the bed. 

Of course not literally. 

Once inside her dormitory she started for the clinic, refreshed her stock of medicine and went up two floors to her room on the third floor. The door was still locked, meaning Megumi wasn't in yet. She probably was still in her whatever department, learning all that she could. Misao sighed in relief. At least she would be getting a few minutes of privacy and a chance to calm herself. She knew that when Megumi arrived, she'd be in for a telling. 

"That Megumi," she thought aloud. "I like it better when Kaoru tells me those things." 

She tossed her bag on her bed and sighed.

"But she doesn't tell me anymore, and it's been four years," she said, sitting on the mattress and turning on the television. "I need TV... some serious cheering up..." 

Aimlessly she surfed through the channels, finally coming across a soap opera she remembered liking since childhood. For the first time that day, she smiled. 

"Hey! It's back! Good thing they decided to air it again," she said happily, falling back on the bed and accidentally hitting her head on her bag. With a frown she shoved it off, but her eyes never left the television. 

The soap opera she was watching was a story about a group of friends, three boys and three girls, who knew each other ever since they were kids. They were supposed to grow up with one another, but during their pre-teen years, they were separated. One of them moved halfway across the country because of his father's business, while another was sent to another country on a scholarship. Now adults, their paths crossed yet again. Friendships were renewed, and love began to blossom. 

After a few minutes' watching, Misao began to frown. She couldn't help but notice the episode's uncanny similarity to their current conflict. 

"It started out just like that," she told herself. "I could remember as if it were yesterday..." 

Forgetting the TV, she turned to her desk drawer and pulled out a locked journal. Its key hung around her neck, on a chain Kaoru had given to her so many years ago. The journal was also a gift from her, which was why she cherished it a lot. Removing the necklace from around her neck, she opened the book on a random page. She looked at the last entry. It was dated a week ago, about her happiness at getting into university. But at the end, she saw her last word blotched by a drop of what she remembered as a tear. The line read, "But I am sure she will be there, with another friend." 

Misao lay her head on her pillow, took her pen and began to write. Her hand moved up and down in different strokes, and she had turned three pages before finally putting her pen down. Turning back to the original page, she straightened up and read what she wrote: 

_ Today is September seventh, college orientations. I was finally able to step into Toudai's grounds as a real student. I got my schedule today, as well as the list of my possible teachers. Thankfully I can pick a teacher for this course, which means I have to choose them very well. I need to contact Aoshi-sama for this... Hehehe. ^_^ Oh, and by the way, my beloved soap opera is playing again! But uncannily the current episode reminds me so much of what happened four years ago. _

_I saw Kaoru. It's been a while since I last saw her. For the past four years we both have been avoiding each other, and we were successful. But I've always wanted to see her. It's just that I can't get away from Kenshin and Megumi's nosy noses... I wish they'd get on with their lives and let go of their pride, especially Megumi. It's obvious that she hates Kaoru, and Sano and I know why. We've known years ago, but we never told anyone about it, not even Kaoru, when in fact, we should have. _

_Sano. We've been confidantes ever since Kaoru "left the group". She didn't actually leave. We were the ones who sent her away. Sano and I didn't want to. I cannot say the same for Kenshin though, but I am pretty sure Megumi wanted her out. Why? Because she was insecure. _

_Four years ago, we were all teenagers dealing with the undesirable effects of puberty. But fortunately for Megumi and Kenshin, puberty was on their side. Everyone started taking notice of their looks, while the rest of us were "trying to recover". Sano's voice squeaked at a point in time, and I was shorter than everyone else. But Kaoru seemed to have the worse end. Once, she had a bad case of zits. The next, her voice was very high-pitched she didn't want to talk at all. I guess the bad effects of puberty seemed to lower her self-esteem, and Kenshin made matters only worse._

_They were the closest friends ever since we were kids, Kenshin and Kaoru. The guy couldn't leave her behind. They were together every time we saw each other, minus the times when Kaoru came over his house and vice versa. They were inseparable, rather Kenshin was inseparable from Kaoru. Nevertheless Kaoru enjoyed the attention, which was what she confided to me once, when we were eight._

_How did we all meet? Well, through our mothers. Funnily they were all flight attendants for Japan Airlines. One flight, Kenshin's and Kaoru's mom met. They were both working in the same area of the plane. They got along pretty well and promised each other to see again. Before they met Kaoru's mom was already friends with my mom while Kenshin's mom was friends with Sano's mom. Pretty confusing? Well, it isn't, really. Anyway, Kenshin and Kaoru's mom decided to meet, and they brought their friends with them. Then to make a long story short, they all became friends because of those two moms. Aoshi-sama's Kaoru's cousin, so I need not explain how his mom met up with Kaoru's mom. _

_And because our moms were all flight attendants, we all got benefits from the airline. Each family member of a flight attendant gets one free ticket per year, which our mothers used to take us around the world. When we were ten they took us to America. Then the next year, by popular request, it was Paris. Then the next year, it was Venice, but by then there was tension within our little circle. And it was between Kenshin, Kaoru and Megumi._

_Sano laughed back then, calling them a love triangle. By the time we were all twelve, Kenshin was one hot guy, although he is much hotter now. At a tender age he already had girls blushing at the sight of him, but by then a lot of them were swooning. I was attracted to him once, but he never replaced Aoshi-sama in my heart. I believe Kaoru seemed to like him as well, but she wasn't as obvious as Megumi. Just by taking one look at her, one could deduce that she had the biggest crush on Kenshin. How it happened is another story that I do not want to narrate right now._

_We all went to different schools, so we each had a separate circle of friends. Kenshin unfortunately chose the wrong guys to be friends with. He became part of the popular kids at school who had a whole fan club of girls swooning after them. For a while, we didn't see each other. Our only means of contact was through the telephone and the occasional run-ins at the malls. But those didn't happen very often, and little did we know, we were slowly losing the old Kenshin. _

_The next time we saw one another, which was during Kaoru's thirteenth birthday, we were all surprised. He looked so different from before, with the smart outfit and the sleek shiny hair. Definitely he looked more handsome, and Kaoru suddenly felt intimidated. Like I said, her self-esteem was getting less and less, and Kenshin did nothing to temper it. Kaoru was less than pretty, and it was during that time she had the bad case of zits. Nevertheless Sano and I stayed with her, all the while giving hard looks at Kenshin, who seemed to avoid her because of the familiar faces in Kaoru's party. He had established a reputation in his old school of staying with the "pretty folks", and at that time, he did everything for that reputation to be left untarnished. _

_Kaoru was deeply hurt of course, and Megumi took the opportunity to get Kenshin's attention. By the end of the party, she had succeeded, and had Kenshin calling her night after night to talk about the most common things. A few weeks later, I got a phone conversation with Kaoru. That would be one of the most unforgettable talks I had with anyone in my entire life._

_"Misao," she had said, "I feel so... sad."_

_"How come?" I asked, my brows knotting a bit._

_"Kenshin's... He's not the guy he used to be... Not anymore." _

_I knew what she was getting at, but I decided to pretend._

_"Well people change Kaoru-chan," I said. "It's natural." _

_"But his change is more like phenomenal," she chuckled a bit for lack of a better word. "It's like he's taken on a completely new identity, and he doesn't even speak to me at all. Am I really ugly Misao?"_

_"Of course not Kaoru-chan! How can you say that?" I exclaimed._

_"You know his reputation Misao, that he only sticks with the pretty folks. If he keeps on avoiding me, then that is reason for me to believe I'm..." _

_I interrupted her before she could say anything more. _

_"Kaoru-chan of course not! You're okay, not ugly, not pretty. And knowing Kenshin, he likes that sort of beauty," I said with confidence. Mentally I noted, 'And I have proof to back up that statement of mine, although I don't think I should say it now.' _

_"Well, I guess I shouldn't be too bothered by my looks," she whispered. "I was beginning to think that the reason he stuck with Megumi more was because I was getting ugly. I mean, puberty and all. Hey, do you think it'd be 'them' anytime soon?" _

_"Possibly," I said. "With the way they're acting, it's very likely." _

_"Well I hope he'll be happy with her," she said. _

_I gasped a little bit. _

_"Kaoru-chan, I thought..." _

_"If he likes her, then let them be," she spoke. "I don't know if I like him enough to want him to be my boyfriend, and I'm in no hurry in getting one. If I do, I want it to be serious, like he really likes me and I really like him. I don't want to waste my time on unstable relationships." _

_'Twas a sign of maturity which I had not noted during that time. _

_"All I ask," she continued, "is that it not affect our friendship. We've had a beautiful one ever since we were kids. It's been a decade since we became friends, and I don't want it to end after this long. I want it to last forever." _

_And then we talked about school, a trivial matter._

_Months later, I learned about Kenshin and Megumi's relationship from a phone call from Megumi. She told me not to tell Kaoru, which to me back then, was a mystery. I respected her decision and did not tell Kaoru, my best friend. But I had made a terrible mistake._

_We saw each other a week after I learned of Kenshin and Megumi's relationship. She already knew._

_"How did you know?" I asked._

_"Sano," she simply replied. "Why didn't you tell me Misao-chan?" _

_I stammered. I couldn't tell her about Kenshin. But her brilliant mind somehow guessed it._

_"Did he tell you not to?" Obviously he was referring to Kenshin._

_Slowly, I nodded. _

_"But why?" _

_"I don't know," I replied softly. _

_"Why is everybody keeping secrets from me now?" she began in a shaky voice. "Why is it that I'm always the last to know?" _

_She was referring to an outing Megumi and I had planned two weeks ago, where Kenshin and Megumi's relationship started. Megumi was in charge of informing everyone about it, including Kaoru. But she had "forgotten" to tell Kaoru. I ended up calling her the day itself and asking her if she could come, but Kaoru was the type of girl who wanted to be notified early. She politely declined saying that I had called her too late and she already had plans. I knew she was quite pissed, since it wasn't the first time that happened. In fact, it was the third. I made a mental note never to trust Megumi with the logistics ever again._

_"I guess that means you guys really don't want me in the group," she continued, her head hung low. "There must be something wrong with me... I have to talk to Kenshin." _

_"K-Kaoru-chan!" _

_But she didn't take notice of me. She walked out on me. _

_Three days later, I received a phone call from Sano, telling me to come immediately to Kenshin's house. He didn't tell me why. When I arrived Sano met me at the gate, literally dragging me to the garden at the back of the house. There I saw Kenshin, Megumi and Kaoru arguing. Rather, it was Megumi and Kaoru arguing. Kenshin was merely in the background. It was he who advised Sano to call me. Kaoru, I saw, was close to tears. _

_"Why didn't you tell me? Why did I have to hear it from someone else? We're friends right? Friends tell each other!" Kaoru cried. _

_"Is that why you're so angry Tanuki? What a lowly reason," Megumi scoffed. _

_Tanuki= pet name for Kaoru. However in that case, it didn't seem like a pet name, more of an insult. _

_"I thought we were friends," Kaoru breathed, her head hung low. _

_A chill crept through my spine. I had only seen Kaoru like that once, and I knew immediately what was going to follow. I quickly intervened._

_"Megumi stop that!" I cried, running up to them and hugging Kaoru. "That's enough! Can't you see? You're hurting her!"_

_I pulled her a little farther from Megumi, not letting go of her. _

_"You're strong, aren't you Tanuki? Words don't hurt you," Megumi mocked. "Then if what I'm saying's hurting you, what did you take kenjutsu for?" _

_From behind Megumi, I saw Sano pull Kenshin aside and talk to him angrily. The latter merely listened. My anger was beginning to fuel._

_"Listen up Megumi, I..." _

_"You've already hurt me enough," Kaoru breathed, gently prying my arms off her. I stopped and let her do as she pleased. She raised her head, her eyes cold, her face hard. She stared back at Megumi with her piercing blue eyes. I knew that there was no stopping her from this. But still I had to try._

_"Kaoru-chan..." _

_She ignored me, and moved closer to Megumi until they were only a few inches apart. And suddenly, she slapped her. _

_Megumi stood frozen for a few seconds, until her mind registered what Kaoru had just done to her. The spot where Kaoru's hand met her cheek was rosy, and Megumi brought a hand up to cover it. Kenshin and Sano stood still, the former's violet eyes wide with surprise._

_"How dare you!" Megumi retaliated preparing to slap Kaoru. But their hands met midway and Kaoru kept a firm grip on her arm, preventing her. _

_"That, Megumi, is what I take kenjutsu for," Kaoru spoke. "Self-defense." _

_"Why you..." Megumi seethed, her face turning red from anger._

_"You listen to me first," she breathed, her voice dangerously low. "My only concern is why you and Kenshin have seemed to change despite the fact that we were so close just a few years ago. The problem is, you jump to conclusions too much. You think that I'm here to steal Kenshin from you. Well, sorry to burst your bubble lady, but I'm not. I came here to ask him why he hasn't been speaking with me lately, even though I'd talk to him. I came here to ask him if he has a problem with me, if I did anything to anger him and deserve his cold treatment. I didn't know you would be here. I didn't know you guys were to go out. I only wanted to talk." _

_As she spoke, she involuntarily tightened her hold of Megumi's arm, that by her last sentence the latter was already cringing in pain. Noticing this Kaoru let go, revealing a red circle where Kaoru's fingers had been. She was strong. _

_"And now since the two of you could not give me a good answer, then I think we'd better continue where we left off," she said. Her words had a double meaning, and I knew everyone realized what it was. "I will leave the two of you alone, as you want, so that you can continue whatever you want to do freely, without worrying about me. After all I'm only a burden to all of you, right? That's why I'm always the last to know about outings, why I'm always the last to hear any news about all of you, why I'm always last in everything. I'm sensitive enough to take a hint, don't worry."_

_And then she turned to Kenshin. _

_"I don't know what I did to deserve this treatment," she spoke. "I don't know. But I realize that this is how you want things to be. All the while I thought we were friends, but I guess I was wrong."_

_"Jou-chan you know that isn't true!" Sano exclaimed. _

_"That's right!" I piped in. "Kenshin still thinks of you as a friend!" _

_"Misao-chan, for the past few years, I've learned that when it comes to matters like these, you only believe the person himself, not his friends, nor his family, but himself," Kaoru replied. "If he really thinks of me the way you say he does, then I want to hear it from him directly. It's not that I don't trust you Misao-chan, but because of what's been happening lately I don't know who to trust anymore. I don't even know if you trust me._

_"For a decade I considered you my best friends, but it seems you didn't think of me the same way. Words are not enough for me to tell you how much sadness and disappointment I feel right now." _

_She turned around to leave._

_"Kaoru-chan!" _

_"Forgive me Misao-chan, but, I cannot stay here any longer to hear his answer," she spoke. And she ran out. _

_"Kaoru-chan!" I cried, preparing to bolt after her. Kenshin was going to do the same thing too, but Megumi held us back._

_"Don't," she said. "Leave her be."_

_I looked back at Kenshin. Both of us realized she had some sense, but the nagging feeling inside us never left us. I followed Megumi, but resolved to call Kaoru and try to mend things._

_However, that night when I called her, Aoshi-sama wouldn't give me the phone. He said Kaoru wasn't in the mood for phone calls. Then I called again the next day, but she wouldn't talk to me. We saw each other again but she wouldn't speak to me._

Misao shut her journal, re-locked it and returned it to the desk drawer. Tears had formed in her eyes. What good timing for Megumi to enter the room with a bright cheery smile and say, "Tadaima!"   


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End of Chapter 2. To be continued! 

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**Author's Notes: **Drama galore, har har har. It's not as awful as it really seems to be, but, hey, friendship is a touchy subject. The reason Misao's angry is that she didn't have enough sense to run after her friend. Maybe if she had, things might have changed, and she and Kaoru would still be in speaking terms up to now. Megumi was too insecure, which I will explain why in the next chapters. And Kenshin, he's just plain stupid. Forgive my language, but here in this fic, he is plain stupid. Half of this story is actually based on my own experiences. Believe it or not, I have a circle of friends similar to the one in this same story, although there're just two boys. That's the reason it's pretty easy for me to write this story. It's sort of an outlet for my feelings. ^_^ To the wonderful reviewers, I hope your questions have been answered, some, hopefully, if not all. I will continue to update soon. ^_^ 

Please leave a review! 


	3. Reality Bites

**Author's Notes: **I'm here a little late, but can't be helped due to academics... Unfortunately I failed a major exam :( and I needed time to recover... Well, not much to say. Please read the story first then check out the actual notes at the bottom of the page. But at this point in time, I can say, that there might be many more chapters to come... ^_^ 

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**Night Sky  
**by: Ezra  
Standard disclaimers apply.

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**Chapter 3: Reality Bites**

  
Kaoru patiently waited by the entrance of the commerce department for her cousin to finish class. He had promised to drive her home every day after his, which was only an hour after hers ended. Kaoru mentally noted about how kind he had become since four years ago, after the incident... Although, she had to admit, even though he spoke to Kenshin less, it hadn't ceased his and Misao's midnight phone calls. 

She shook her head, smiling a bit. The events of four years ago were still pretty painful for her, and she wasn't willing to tell anyone about them yet. Shura had asked her about it some hours ago, but Kaoru had not spoken a word. The former respected her privacy and politely added that if Kaoru would be wanting someone to listen, she'd always be there. Kaoru smiled. Shura was a wonderful friend, and still is until now. If she hadn't met her, God knows what would've happened to her over the past four years. 

Finally the bell rang, and out came the juniors. Kaoru looked around for any possible sign of her cousin, and she didn't have to look that far. There, towering over the other juniors, was her cousin Shinomori Aoshi, looking very confident and dignified in his favorite navy-blue shirt snug fitly around his body. When Aoshi saw her, he approached her and wound an arm around her shoulder.

"Nice abs," Kaoru greeted, smiling. 

"Domo," was all her older cousin replied, steering her towards his car amidst the jealous feminine faces around them.

"How was class?" Kaoru asked, trying to start a conversation. "Teacher okay?"

"Old, but okay," Aoshi answered, digging the keys from his pocket. "I think he'll be handling the freshmen too, so I can give you a few tips." 

"Arigato ni-chan," she said, hopping into the front seat of his four-wheeler.

_Ni-chan_, Aoshi thought. _I've missed that pet name. _

Kaoru never had an older brother. All she had was a bratty kid bro named Yahiko who always got on her nerves by calling her names. 

_"I wished for an older brother," Kaoru had told him some years ago. "I wanted Yahiko to be born before me, but it happened the other way around." _

_"Why do you want one?" Aoshi had asked. _

_"Well, my other friends tell me it's nice to have one," she replied. "I envy them. I see their brothers getting over-protective when guys come around, help them with their homework, pick them up from school and drive them to the malls, things like that." _

_"So you want a slave?" _

_"Of course not!" Kaoru retaliated, a small blush staining her cheeks. "Well, maybe, I want one, but there's Yahiko anyway." _

_"If you want one," Aoshi said, "just call me." _

_Kaoru looked up, her eyes gleaming in happiness. _

_"You're always so nice Aoshi. It's like, you're more than a cousin." _

_"Well if I'm going to be your older brother, figuratively of course, I have to be nice," he spoke. _

_"Is it alright if I call you 'ni-chan?" _

_"Well I am your older brother..." _

_"Arigatou!" _

"You actually haven't told me all the details of four years ago," he said, turning on the engine. 

Kaoru was quiet, and Aoshi drove out of the parking lot. 

"Kaoru, it's been four years. And seeing him again, you've got to be prepared. And as your ni-chan, I want to help you, but I can't if you're being so distant," Aoshi gently chided. "Now, tell me. We can drop by a cafe if you want."

"It's a long story," Kaoru finally spoke. 

"It's only 1:00 pm, and I haven't had my lunch. Curfew for you, I understand, is 7:00 pm, so we have at least 6 hours. I believe it's long enough," he said. 

Kaoru nodded, and Aoshi turned the wheel to the mall's direction. 

***

"Tadaima!" Megumi greeted, setting her bag on the chair by the window. "How was orientation for you?" 

"Fine," Misao replied, ducking for cover under her pillow to hide the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. 

"Misao-chan, you shouldn't cover your face with a pillow. You know you can't breathe well like that," the other girl commented, walking to the bathroom to wash her face. 

"I'm fine," Misao mumbled, her words very much muffled for Megumi to hear. 

Back in the bathroom, Megumi pressed her back against the bathroom's tiled wall. A slight chill crept up her spine as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The day's events had most certainly been unexpected, and she silently thanked herself for keeping her poise and cool althroughout the day. Now alone, she felt her heart beat fast, taking in deep breaths to steady it. 

She was back, the one girl she had tried to get rid of for the past four years. She had been successful, but not for long. She knew Kaoru was bent on getting in the same university as she was, and the both of them had done their best to get into it. It was pretty much expected of Megumi, but Kaoru had outdone herself. She graduated from high school number 2 in the list, with a stack of scholarship invitations from a variety of schools. 

But she was Kaoru, capable of anything just as long as she set her mind and heart to it. She was Kaoru, the girl who put her heart and soul into what she considered worthwhile. She was Kaoru, the girl whom Kenshin held in his heart for the longest time, even until now. At this thought, Megumi let a tear slide down her cheek. All the while, she wanted to make Kenshin see she was the better of them, the one truly made for him. She had liked him ever since they met as children at a party at Kenshin's home. Their mothers were friends, though not as close as Kaoru's mom, Kumiko, and Kenshin's mom, Sayako, were. Kumiko and Sayako, much like their kids, were inseparable, and her mother was desperately trying to fit herself in whenever the two were together. 

Megumi hated the fact that she was like her mother, always vying for attention with the people she wanted to be friends with the most. Kenshin, during their youth, was too engrossed with Kaoru, that Megumi had almost wrecked her brains trying to figure out how to make him notice her. Opportunity came when he began mingling with the wrong friends. All she had to do was feed the evil growing in him, and he would be hers. 

At this Megumi fell to her knees and shook her head. She was wrong. She had been wrong. In steering Kenshin to the wrong side, she had risked her friendship with Kaoru and Kenshin's welfare. Her tears fell steadily as unbidden thoughts of the past flashed through her mind, making her all the more regret what she had done. 

***

"And that's it," Kaoru finished, taking a sip from her coffee. "That's the whole story." 

Aoshi frowned a little and continued to eat his burger. Kaoru fidgeted in the silence. 

"Well, aren't you going to say something?" Kaoru finally spoke up. 

"What am I supposed to say?" Aoshi responded nonchalantly. 

"Something like, 'Oh, so it was like that', or something," Kaoru muttered. "I hate it when you're quiet." 

"Oh, so it was like that," Aoshi said, fishing for something in his pocket. 

"Mou! Since when have you become sarcastic?"

"I wasn't sarcastic," Aoshi replied. "I was just being nice." 

Kaoru merely raised an eyebrow, prompting Aoshi to make some sense. 

"I honestly think that you didn't make a good choice," he spoke, placing his keys on the table. 

His cousin blinked in surprise. Up to now she had believed she had made the best choice by choosing not to speak to any of her old friends. And by old friends that meant Sano and Misao, even though they didn't have much to do with her little conflict with Kenshin and Megumi. Kaoru's pride began to hurt. She frowned at her cousin, signaling him to elaborate. 

"It's not that I'm favoring Misao because we're, um, close, but why'd you have to stop speaking to her and Sano?" Aoshi asked. "They didn't directly hurt you anyway." 

"That's the point," Kaoru replied. "They did it _in_directly." 

"But unintentionally." 

"Still they did." 

"It's unfair." 

Kaoru cocked a brow. 

"Look, you're acting like a child," Aoshi remarked. 

"Me? Like a child?" she shot back with indignation. "Aoshi, I happen to pride myself as the most mature in our circle!" 

"Which is what has been feeding your ego for the past four years," Aoshi answered. "You've grown up too fast Kaoru." 

There, he stood up and started walking towards the door of the cafe. Kaoru remained seated, frozen to her place, lost in thought. Aoshi had to tap her on the shoulder to snap her out of her reverie. But she remained perfectly silent as he drove her to the fairly large house in the city's more private districts, and so she remained until a few days after. If she were mature as she claimed, he thought, she would start forgiving them and try healing old wounds. But if she weren't, then he would just have to give her another lecture. After all, he was technically her older brother, wasn't he? 

*** 

"Misao-chan, I want to talk to you," Megumi called from inside the bathroom. 

"Nande?" came the soft response. 

"About four years ago," Megumi said. "About what happened in between." 

At this Misao retreated from the refuge of her pillow and curled into a tight ball. 

"I'm listening," she whispered, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs. She closed her eyes. 

Megumi emerged from the bathroom, her cheeks slightly pink, and sat on Misao's bed. Closing her eyes as well, she lay down next to Misao, also curling into a tight ball. 

"I don't know how to start," she spoke. "I'm sure you've got the general view of it, but I'm not sure you know the nit-picky details... Do you?" 

Misao shook her head. 

"It's going to be a long story," Megumi breathed. 

"We've got all night," was the reply. 

Megumi sighed, bracing herself emotionally. 

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End of Chapter 3. To be continued!

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**AN: **Cliffhanger yet again. So sorry about that. ^_^ But I'd like to explain a few points here, which I'm sure you might need as the story goes along. The whole point of this story is how these old friends reconcile. Only after then, I firmly believe, that a relationship between Kenshin and Kaoru can fully bloom. The story will lead on to that point, and most probably end somewhere there. Unfortunately I can't say anything more, since I'm going to give away some things. ^_^ 

I'm also going to do justice to Megumi, since she's been taken very badly in the past two chapters. Part of my justice is sort of bringing out some negativities in Kaoru's end. We need some equilibrium here, and a little of the negative side won't hurt. ^_^ In the next parts I hope to show the softer side of her. Megumi isn't a hateful character, and I apologize to all Megumi fans if this story made it seem that way. It's just that in my story, she's a teenager playing on others' insecurities because she was afraid to face her own. And so, the next chapter will be devoted to clearing her name, I promise that! 

Kenshin's side of the story... Well, that'd probably come at a later date. But I'm taking great care not to let this story drag. After reading half of a long, tedious novel, (with an extremely weird plot) I told myself that I would never write like it's author! Believe me, she writes one sentence to begin a paragraph and after three pages, it's still a single paragraph talking about the same sentence. Anyone heard of Isabella Allende's "House of the Spirits"? That's the book I'm talking about. I wouldn't even dare touching it if we didn't need it for school. 

And thank you to all the wonderful reviewers! ^_^ Funny how you got the deeper side of the story than I did. ^_^ Sorry I don't have any individual responses, but I'll work on that in the next chapter. Hehehe. ^_^ I do hope that you like the story, and please keep the reviews coming. Constructive criticism is very much welcome! ^_^


	4. A New Beginning

**Author's Notes: **From now on, I'll make this part a sort of teaser for the chapter. ^^ I hope it gets you interested in reading and reviewing. Megumi's side is explained and Kenshin and Kaoru have their first day in class... together. Time for some real interaction! 

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**Night Sky  
**by: Ezra  
Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

**Chapter 4: A New Beginning**

  
"Are you sure? You've got class tomorrow..." 

"Not until noon. Go on, talk. I'll listen," Misao whispered. 

***

Classes started early for Kaoru the next day. Aoshi woke up early to drive her, but they were both silent the whole trip. After a soft 'thank you', Kaoru went inside the building, fished her schedule, and tried to remember where room 209 was. First up was Mathematics. Kaoru frowned. Aside from the fact that she couldn't remember where she was supposed to go, her first class had to be Math, of all subjects! Fortunately there was a kindred spirit who showed her the way, and she reached class just in time for the bell. 

Clutching the bag slung on her shoulder, she quickly scanned the room for a vacant seat. Fortunately there were two of them next to each other, and she sat down on one. Everyone was waiting for the teacher, and maybe even for the remaining student who had not arrived just yet. Suddenly the door opened and in walked the very person she had been wanting not to see. Kenshin. 

Just as she had done, he quickly scanned the room for an available seat. He froze momentarily when he realized that the only vacant chair was beside hers, but he didn't have a choice anyway. He calmly walked towards the chair and sat down, setting his things on the floor. In walked a tall, middle-aged woman, with long black hair that fell beautifully up to her shoulders. She had pleasant features and a slim figure that earned her smiles from her male students. 

Kaoru admired the beauty of her new teacher, silently wishing that she also had been fortunate enough to inherit some good looks. 

_"Kenshin and Kaoru had a beautiful friendship. She was very lucky to have a friend like him, and he vice versa. Kenshin was a very good-looking guy who easily caught attention with his violet eyes and red hair. Kaoru's also a beautiful girl, only that she doesn't fix herself too much. If she did, I can imagine a horde of men falling at her feet." _

Their teacher frowned and ordered the class to organize. She checked attendance through a roll call, and then in neat, elegant characters, wrote her name on the chalkboard. 

"I am Amemiya Uno, your Mathematics teacher," she spoke in a firm voice. "You may call me Amemiya-sensei. A little something about myself. I have been teaching in this university for five years now, and am fortunate enough not to encounter disrespectful students. Lazy ones I have, but disrespectful, none. I do hope that you will not be the first ones on my list." 

Some of the boys frowned. She would prove to be a very strict teacher one day. 

_"I guess you can say that I was envious of their friendship. Although I personally knew them both and was in very good terms with them, I still envied Kaoru's intimacy with Kenshin, especially since at that time I had a crush on him. As the song goes, 'It's just a little crush, some little thing, every time we touch', except that I didn't think of it to be that way back then..." _

"You are university students, and therefore I expect a lot of things. Work hard and you will pass; slack off and you will fail. Mathematics is not an easy subject I daresay, but if you have the perseverance and patience, I'm sure you will all pass. Of course I will be here, should you need further guidance," Amemiya-sensei continued. "We wouldn't be having any hard lessons today, but instead I'll conduct a review. We must freshen up on high school math, and I trust that it will be easy for you. Please bring out your pens."

Amemiya-sensei began passing out exercise sheets to each of her twenty students. Some of them scratched their heads as they tried to remember how to solve hyperbolas and functions, while others just answered at normal speed. However, two of Amemiya-sensei's students were working faster than everyone else. Their pens were moving quicker, and in fifteen minutes they had all numbers done from front to back. Amemiya-sensei was pleased. 

_"At first I tried the conventional methods of getting people's attention. I began to get conscious of my appearance and the latest fashion. I dressed up and fixed myself up, just so that Kenshin would take notice of me. Everyone said I looked beautiful, so I flaunted it. He did notice, but not in the way I wanted. He still was inseparable with Kaoru." _

Minutes later, Amemiya-sensei asked them to put their pens down. They were to check the papers. She made them exchange with the person next to them, and for Kaoru's case it was Kenshin. It was the same situation for Kenshin, and they awkwardly exchanged papers. In the end, they both got a perfect score, and the papers were passed forward. 

"Good score," Kaoru said, turning to look at him. 

"Thanks," was the only reply.

They didn't talk much to each other, and Amemiya-sensei noticed this. She frowned a little, but then dismissed any thought of conflict between the two. It was after all, their first day together, and it was natural for students not to talk to one another during their first day. Or that's what she thought. 

_"I felt insecure. Here was Kaoru, none too good-looking than I was, getting most of Kenshin's time and attention. Back then, I thought that if anyone deserved Kenshin's attention, it was me, and not some sweaty tomboy like Kaoru. I suddenly became a bitch and decided to play dirty..."_

Amemiya-sensei then decided to dismiss class early, which was around 9:30 AM. Kaoru had a full hour before her next class and decided to go to the central garden by herself. 

"That prompted more drastic measures from me," Megumi continued over breakfast, 9:30 AM. "I seized the opportunity when Kenshin started hanging out with the older students like Omiya and Tetsuya, since I knew them. Remember me back in high school. I was... popular, and I used every inch of it to my advantage. I admit, I was a bitch." 

Misao blinked at the admission, but still kept quiet. 

"I encouraged Kenshin's friendship with them, saying that they were pretty cool guys. When they went out, they brought Kenshin along, and oftentimes we met at the mall. Soon, Omiya and Tetsuya introduced us to this cool guy named Katsura Kogoro... Kenshin and I didn't get to know him well though. But at that time, he was already developing a taste for the pretty. You know what I mean." 

"Yup, I do," Misao replied. 

Suddenly Megumi paused. She took a sip of her orange juice while looking at Misao's face. 

"What?!" the other girl frowned. 

"You know you've changed," Megumi said pointedly. "You're not the uber-genki Makimachi Misao I've known." 

"Well owing to past events I believe I have few reason to be uber-genki..." Misao trailed off. 

Megumi noted the sarcasm in the tone and decided to continue with her story. 

"Okay. Going back, I used my charms to the full advantage. All I know is that Omiya, Tetsuya and their group did a lot to influence Kenshin, although they were acquainted with Kaoru at that time. They got along, but admitted that at times, she did get rough. Omiya and Tetsuya started introducing Kenshin to some older girls, who, I must admit, were into drugs at that time. Stupid me encouraged it. Then a week later we hitched." 

Misao choked on her bread, but not because of the last statement. 

"Don't tell me that he was actually hospitalized for drug overdose!" she exclaimed. 

Megumi nodded, confirming her worst fears. 

"What the heck?!" 

"Good thing he didn't get addicted to them. I guess his system couldn't take it, and he survived." 

"What time's your class?" Misao asked. 

"Not 'till three." 

"Good. Mine's at noon. Continue." 

"His hospitalization struck me, and that's when I realized what I was doing was wrong... That was after the incident at his garden where Kaoru walked out on all of us. He was so bothered by that incident that he didn't realize he was already taking drugs... That was enough to hit me hard on the head and make me wake up. When he woke up at the hospital, the first thing I told him was that he was not allowed to see Omiya, Tetsuya or any of the girls ever again. I was close to tears at that time, and he smiled at me." 

A light blush tinted her cheeks. 

"But it was a sad smile. Maybe he was half-expecting that it would be Kaoru at his side when he woke up. But she was there... Except that he didn't wake up when she was there." 

Kaoru strolled quietly at the central garden, admiring how everything was a beautiful shade of green. The school was probably paying the gardeners well. She smiled, remembering how her late mother loved gardening. She continued walking a bit more and was about to sit down on a stone bench when she saw Kenshin. He was looking at some jasmine flowers, her favorite. 

She was about to turn back when she heard him speak. 

"You can stay here if you like. I'm about to leave anyway," he said, still looking at the flowers. 

"You don't have to leave," Kaoru replied. "I mean, I don't want to disturb you..." 

"Jasmines are your favorite, right?" he asked. 

"Yes..." 

Kenshin then bent down on his knees and began picking a few of them from their branches. Solemnly, he stood back up and gave them to her. 

"Here. I got a lot of sins to pay for, and I guess giving you this is a start." 

However stunned she was, Kaoru accepted the flowers with a soft thank you. Kenshin gave a small grin and walked off. 

"What's your next class?" Kaoru called at his back. 

He stopped, looked at his schedule and responded, "I only have Math today." 

"Oh, okay." 

And with that, he left. 

Kaoru sighed, pressed the flowers inside her notebook and turned around. She was surprised to find a group of girls whispering to themselves a little too loudly with angry looks on their faces. One of them, Kaoru noticed, was holding a candid photo of Kenshin, while another held pen and paper. Untidily scribbled on the paper was a schedule for that day, which Kaoru recognized to be Kenshin's. Realization dawned on her and she doubled up with laughter. The girls regarded her strangely as she opened her notebook and took out the flowers. 

"Here," she said, handing one of them the jasmines. "For your collection." 

Casually she walked away, still giggling. 

_Boy do I have a lot to tell Shura tonight! _

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End of Chapter 4. To be continued!

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**Author's Notes:   
**In case someone was confused, the _italicized_ parts of the story were Megumi's narration. Then, people, I need help. I am totally at loss about how college works, since I am just a poor high school student who loves writing fanfiction. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but I was so busy with school. Hopefully the next chapter would come more quickly. I recently suffered from writer's block. :( 

I feel like adding a little humor here and there, and taking advantage of the boys' good looks. Kenshin, Aoshi and Sano (ranked according to hotness ^^) are very cool guys, and I know if they were really alive, they'd have a trail of girls swooning after them. :D This fic is getting too serious and I need a little comic relief here! Anyone has suggestions? My brain needs a little more squeezing... :D 

Review!!!!! 


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